New London — Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio, in an unusual move on Tuesday, issued a statement in an apparent attempt to clear the name of Tim Hanser, the former public works director he fired in May.

“I want to clarify that Mr. Hanser was not terminated for cause or for any violation of safety procedures,” Finizio said in his statement.

Finizio said the wording in a statement he released at the time of Hanser’s termination suggested he was fired for safety violations.

“I am issuing this correction and apologize for any confusion the initial release may have caused,” Finizio said.

Hanser is a former Pfizer scientist, Planning and Zoning Commission member, founder of the Riverside Park Neighborhood Association and is a Green Party candidate for City Council.

Finizio fired Hanser and three other public works employees more than a year after the January 2014 death of Floyd Smeeton. Smeeton reportedly fell into and was crushed to death in a trash compacter at the city’s solid waste transfer station.

The state Department of Labor’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (CONN-OSHA) cited New London for “willful” and “serious” safety violations contributing to a hazardous work environment at the transfer station and levied a fine of $10,800 against the city after Smeeton’s death.

Among the violations found by CONN-OSHA was the failure to have railings or guardrails to prevent people from falling into the trash compactor area.

The city went on to implement new safety protocols, retrain workers and implement a zero-tolerance policy for any other safety violations.

In March, Mounir Hage was fired and four other DPW employees were disciplined for a safety violation unrelated to the trash compacter death.

Hage was fired because he is alleged to have used a black plastic knob and duct tape to bypass a safety switch designed to prevent the trash compactor from running automatically.

He has denied the claims and since reached an agreement with the city to be rehired without penalty.

On May 8, Finizio announced Hanser, Tom Ryan and Okoi Tucker were terminated after the discovery of safety violations again at the Solid Waste Transfer Station during an investigation conducted by the city Personnel Director Tina Collins and Risk Manager Paul Gills.

In the clarification issued Tuesday, Finizio said Hanser actually played an “integral role in the investigations that lead to the termination of two other employees.”

“Director Hanser worked closely with the City’s Risk Manager, Paul Gills, to investigate claims of unsafe actions by members of the Solid Waste Division. As a part of that investigation, Mr. Hanser and Mr. Gills concluded that three members of the division were in violation of established safety protocols, even after recent retraining had taken place to address similar issues. Upon Mr. Hanser’s recommendation, one of those employees was suspended, while the other two were terminated,” Finizio said in his statement.

Finizio declined to comment further when reached on Tuesday. Hanser could not be reached for comment.

“I want to thank Director Hanser for his service and dedication to the City. Under his leadership the Public Works Department improved its financial oversight, made significant improvements to workplace safety, and implemented policies and procedures to better monitor performance,” Finizio also said in his statement.

g.smith@theday.com

Twitter: @SmittyDay